“Work” (A new self-produced single): Brief Insight

_{Photo by @misterakpan}

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Hello Steemians, it is a pleasure to share with you another self-produced single titled “Work”. I released the single alongside with the instrumental a couple of hours ago exclusively on Choon.

“Work” addresses the current political, social and economic issues in Nigeria. Sampled in this song is the famous “Hausa first” declaration by the first and only premier of Nothern Nigeria, Sir. Ahmadu Bello in which he labeled the Igbos as a group of people with a strong desire to “dominate everybody” thus justifying his “Northerner first” policy. The lyric of the song is in the Nigerian pidgin English and I purposely chose to release this track on a Monday and also in a period that Africa’s Afrobeat legend “Fela Kuti” is being celebrated. “Work” has elements of Afrobeat, Jazz, and Conscious Hip Hop. Below is an embedded private SoundCloud link to the song.

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Lyric

(Intro)
Yea yea yea yea (×4)

Every day my people work work work
My people no de rest dem de work work work
Dem de work like elephant chop like ant
Morning and night my people work work work

Yea yea yea yea (×4)

(Verse one)
We’ve been running so long
For a very long time now we've been on this run
Many years don pass and my people still de run
My people don de run
My people still de run

My people no de rest
My people no de sleep
Every day na race so dem fit to eat
See we government dem no de send we
Dem go America dem say we lazy
But dem no lazy na dem de carry de money go
Dem de carry the money
No be small thing to carry the money

(Lagos ambience and speech)

(Chorus)
Work my people work work work
Every night and day my people work work work
My people no de rest dem de work work work
Dem de work like elephant chop like ant (×2)

(Verse two)
My people suffer
Make our children go school it sounds cool
Dem finish school no work is that cool
Uncle for school tell you say
Ojukwu wanted to separate Nigeria
But Gowon say Nigeria must be one (laughter)
You finish school no work
You get work no pay

(Repeat chorus)

My people suffer
My people suffer suffer
My people suffer
My people suffer suffer
My people on the road
Every day my people on the road
My people suffer
My people suffer suffer

(Repeat chorus)

The photo used for the cover art of this song is an original photo that was taken by my brother @misterakpan and the cover art was designed by a musician friend of mine who runs an online magazine that promotes both mainstream and underground African art. You can read it here.

Thank you, hope you enjoyed it. You can also listen to the instrumental on choon.